National Institute on Drug Abuse to Announce Results of 2011 Monitoring the Future Survey

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will hold a press conference on Wednesday, December 14, to announce the results of its 2011 Monitoring the Future survey. The survey, funded by NIDA—part of the National Institutes of Health—tracks annual drug abuse trends of 8th, 10th, and 12th-grade students, including attitudes and perceived risk of specific illicit drugs. It is one of three major polling instruments the Department of Health and Human Services uses to monitor the nation's substance abuse patterns. Information from these surveys helps identify potential drug problem areas, assess whether federal drug prevention efforts are effective, and ensure that resources are targeted to areas of greatest need. During the announcement of this year's MTF data, NIDA will also unveil its PEERx campaign to educate teens on the dangers of prescription drug abuse. For more information on the MTF survey, visit: www.drugabuse.gov/drugpages/MTF.html. To preview PEERx, visit: http://teens.drugabuse.gov/peerx/.

About the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world’s research on the health aspects of drug use and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to inform policy, improve practice, and advance addiction science. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs and information on NIDA research and other activities can be found at www.drugabuse.gov, which is now compatible with your smartphone, iPad or tablet. To order publications in English or Spanish, call NIDA’s DrugPubs research dissemination center at 1-877-NIDA-NIH or 240-645-0228 (TDD) or email requests to drugpubs@nida.nih.gov. Online ordering is available at drugpubs.drugabuse.gov. NIDA’s media guide can be found at www.drugabuse.gov/publications/media-guide/dear-journalist, and its easy-to-read website can be found at www.easyread.drugabuse.gov. You can follow NIDA on Twitter and Facebook.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.